Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball is an easy and festive red and green appetizer fantastic for the holidays with only five ingredients! A cream cheese, cranberry and orange mixture is rolled in salty pistachios and served with your favorite crackers for the perfect party food.

Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball

Cranberries, orange zest, cream cheese and salty pistachios served on buttery crackers. Does it get any better than that?! I think not my friends. If you are looking for the perfect holiday appetizer with a festive red and green theme, this Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball fits the bill. Not only is it super easy to make in your food processor and comes together in just minutes, but it also tastes amazing with the sweet and savory combination of flavors.

This appetizer is great because it covers so many of your bases for a variety of party guests. It’s an easy vegetarian dish and paired with gluten-free crackers it is also a delicious treat for anyone with a gluten intolerance. You could even lighten things up with light cream cheese to make it a little friendlier on the waist lines!

I like making swaps with things like light cream cheese because it saves you a few calories and some fat without sacrificing any of the flavors. There is a time and place for making substitutions and this is one of them. Other places not so much… If I am going to make a decadent baked good, like these amazing Peanut Butter Buckeye Brownie Cups, I am going all out with the butter, sugar, etc.

Some people can make small swaps in baked goods without anyone noticing, but lots of times they just don’t seem to be the same. If I am going to have my indulgent treat, I want it in all it’s high calorie glory! 😉

Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball

Prep time

10 mins

Total time

10 mins

Cranberry Pistachio Cheese Ball is an easy and festive red and green appetizer fantastic for the holidays with only five ingredients! A cream cheese, cranberry and orange mixture is rolled in salty pistachios and served with your favorite crackers for the perfect party food.

Author: Danielle Green

Recipe type: Appetizer

Serves: 8

Ingredients

⅓ c. shelled pistachios
½ c. dried cranberries
8 ox. cream cheese
1 Tbsp orange zest
¼ tsp. salt
Crackers for serving

Instructions

In your food processor, pulse the pistachios until they are roughly chopped. Remove the pistachios and set aside.
Add the cranberries to the food processor and chop for 60 seconds until the roughly chopped. Remove half of cranberries and set aside. To the remaining cranberries and add the cream cheese, orange zest and salt. Process the misture until smooth.
Dump the cream cheese mixture onto a piece of saran wrap. Using the wrap, form into a ball. If you are serving immediately, then remove the mixture from the wrap and roll in a combination of the chopped pistachios and cranberries. Serve with crackers.
*If you plan to serve this later, keep the cream cheese ball wrapped in saran wrap in the refrigerator for up to 48 hours. Roll in cranberries and pistachios shortly before serving.